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Obsessed

4/10

Stars: Beyonce Knowles, Idris Elba, Ali Larter, Bruce McGill, Jerry O'Connell, Christine Lahti, Scout Taylor-Compton, Matthew Humphries

Director: Steve Shill

“I think you’ll find I’m not your typical temp”, Larter tells her married executive boss Elba. And she proves her point in no uncertain terms and absolutely predictably when she sets her sights on him and tries to ensnare him in a shower of cliches.

Elba remains ridiculously unaware of Larter’s plans. Not so his wife Beyonce who takes one look at the lubricious lass and snaps, “I want her fired immediately". Which doesn’t happen, of course, leaving Larter to continue her campaign until she and Beyonce to have a splendidly silly no-holds-barred catfight that culminates in an utterly expected climax which has been trailed obviously in reel one …

What David Loughery’s screenplay provides is, patently, Fatal Attraction lite minus the boiling bunny. Give first time feature film director Steve Shill (whose work on the TV crime series ‘Law and Order’ has been impressive) credit for keeping a commendably straight camera in the face of the screenplay and delivering a polished second-league thriller decorated with Larter’s splendidly operatic characterisation. Producer-star Beyonce gives her all – which isn’t enormous in dramatic terms, while Elba doesn’t disgrace himself. That said, for all its glossy production values, Obsession is instantly forgettable minor fare.

Alan Frank

USA 2009. UK Distributor: Sony. Colour.
105 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 0, Swearing 0.

Review date: 29 May 2009